1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to harvesting edible portions of meat from an animal carcass and, more particularly, to harvesting edible feet and paws from a poultry carcass.
2. Background Art
Until October 2001, U.S. was a big exporter of poultry feet or paws to China, it changed when China refused to accept chicken paw packages that did not bear USDA seal of inspection. In the U.S., in most instances chicken feet or paws are considered inedible as they are harvested or removed from the carcass before a determination on final disposition of a carcass is made, and, therefore, do not bear USDA seal of inspection because the feet once removed cannot later be correlated to a carcass. Although paws are graded for systemic and localized conditions, it can not be irrefutably proved that if an Inspector condemns a carcass because of systemic conditions, the feet or paws belonging to that particular carcass have been called during the grading process. A method and apparatuses that would ensure that when an Inspector condemns a carcass, feet or paws belonging to that particular carcass are condemned as well would be of value to the poultry industry.
Per USDA, if a chicken carcass is discarded because of systemic issues, all parts associated with the carcass must also be discarded in a verifiable manner. This is accomplished by the present invention by hanging carcasses on evisceration shackles, hanging by a partially severed hock joint with feet folded over and hock joint exposed for inspection and removing the feet only after a determination on carcass disposition has been made by an inspector. This invention provides a method for (a) subsequent severance of feet from a carcass where the carcass remains firmly in the shackles, (b) transportation of severed feet to an infeed wheel of a paw cutter, and (c) final cutting of the knuckle part to produce a paw that can be further processed to obtain an edible product.
The present invention involves a method whereby the feet remain attached to the carcass through the USDA inspection step. This method involves partially severing the hock joint leaving the feet attached to the carcass by skin and a few tendons. The partial severing of the hock joint is performed by an adjustable blade that can be adjusted to sever the hock joint without completely severing through the joint. Once a partial severing of the hock joint has been completed the method includes the step of unloading the carcass from the kill line shackles and transferring the carcass to the evisceration line shackles either manually or mechanically where the carcass hangs in the shackle by the hock joint with the feet folded over. The series of evisceration line shackles are conveyed past the USDA inspectors where the hock joint is fully visible for inspection. If a carcass is rejected by the inspector the tenuously attached feet will also be rejected with the carcass. This process thereby eliminates the possibility of a carcass being rejected without the feet also being rejected. The inventive method continues by conveying the carcass that has been accepted and is hanging in the evisceration shackles adjacent the inspection station to a portion of the inventive apparatus which includes a guide bar which is inclined and designed to capture the feet and position the feet such that the hock joint can be completely severed as the joint moves across the edge of a stationery blade. The completely severed feet can then be transferred to a paw cutter device for severing the paw at the knuckle. This inventive method and apparatus allows the feet and paws to be harvested in such a manner that when a USDA inspector rejects a carcass, the feet of the carcass will also be rejected thereby eliminating the problem outlined in the above background of description.
A method and apparatus for partially cutting hock joints, and letting feet remain attached to the rest of the carcass by skin and one or more tendons, exposing the hock joint by folding feet, and hanging the carcasses in the evisceration shackles by hock joints, is a method and apparatus that unambiguously ensures that if a carcass is condemned by an Inspector, the feet belonging to that carcass are condemned as well. Furthermore, this invention solves the even more intractable problem of capturing folded feet, separating feet from the carcass while leaving the carcass still hanging in the shackles, transferring feet into an infeed paw cutter wheel, and cutting knuckle portion to produce chicken paws ready for further processing.
These and other advantageous features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein below.